The Dragons-Panthers clash in round four next year is expected to be played at WIN Stadium, rather than Kogarah, the Mercury understands.

It shapes as a Sunday afternoon sell-out, featuring the NSW State of Origin forward, who was lured to Penrith on a three-year deal.

The Dragons will feature heavily on Channel Nine in the early rounds, with three of their first four games to be played on Sunday. In round three, the Dragons will meet Souths at the SCG as part of the 50^th anniversary celebration of St George’s remarkable run of 11 premierships from 1956-66.

The Mercury understands the NRL was scheduled to release the full 2016 draw on Tuesday, but will  be delayed to solve scheduling issues involving several clubs.

NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said the new season fixture is designed to attract crowds back by hosting more Sunday afternoon blockbuster games.

"We have certainly made an effort to ensure that some of our best match-ups and blockbusters are in family-friendly timeslots," Greenberg said. 

"Whilst I don't want to give too much away, we will have a number of strong Sydney derbies on Sundays through the opening rounds of the Telstra Premiership. Both of our broadcast partners, Channel Nine and Fox Sports, have been fantastic through this process to ensure we have some great match-ups for our fans."

Merrin started pre-season training with the Panthers earlier this month after signing the lucrative deal.

It came after a drawn-out contract negotiation, where the Dragons did not match the offer made by their NRL rivals, sparking a backlash from a section of fans.

The Dragons opening-round opponent is yet to be confirmed, amid speculation they face a trip to Melbourne to start the season. 

However, is has been confirmed St George Illawarra travel to play the southern Sydney derby against Cronulla at Remondis Stadium in round two.

The Dragons play at the NRL Auckland Nines on February 6-7, grouped with Canberra, Cronulla and the Gold Coast. They then play two pre-season trials in Queensland and another against the Warriors in New Zealand, as well as the annual Charity Shield against Souths at ANZ Stadium.

Wollongong will host four NRL games again this year, however, officials are still finalising the rest of the schedule for WIN Stadium and Jubilee Oval at Kogarah on Tuesday.